One can see this in the behavior of an infant. The desire of an infant to look at a thing, to tear it to pieces and see what is inside it, shows that it is the soul's desire to look into life, to understand life. No doubt the effect and the influence of life on earth are intoxicating; and through this intoxication man becomes so absorbed in himself and his own interests that he so to speak loses the way, the way which is inborn in him. Not only in man, but even in the lower creation one finds the same attitude. In animals, in birds, the deepest desire is not looking for food or seeking for a comfortable nest; the deepest tendency is the wish to understand the nature of life; and this tendency culminates in man. A child will continually ask his parents, "What does this mean?" and this shows a continual longing to know the meaning of life, a longing which continues all through life.